crossed the south. they left behind it to end a 50 mile line of destruction and killed at least four people. kris van cleave is live with some dramatic pictures of the damage. >> one official is calling that line of storms that cut to the southeast of the worst natural disaster to hit the region since hurricane katrina. the headlines from the local papers say it all. >> numerous homes have been damaged. the tornado is still on the ground. >> from the carolinas to mississippi, we get an up close look at the destructive storm that cut through the southeast killing at least 12 people. >> it is a beast. it keeps getting bigger and water. >> this was the biggest. an enormous twister 1.5 miles wide. winds hit 170 miles per hour. it chewed up 150 miles of land

leveling homes, businesses, and taking 10 lives. >> i lost my home, everything. we have nothing. >> she and her husband took shelter in this cart as the apartment -- as the tornado tore apart her town. >> very small area but the destruction is obliteration of the small community. >> forecasters counted 64 tournedos in nine states. mississippi bore the brunt of mother nature's fury. 32 tornadoes. [inaudible] >> in mississippi, brick homes were reduced to rubble. this small grocers store held some people inside. >> it was gone immediately. >> at least three dozen people

were hurt put up hundreds of homes were damaged or destroyed and the death toll may rise as rescuers combed through the rubble. >> and do not forget, we will have more pictures of the destruction on line. you can check current conditions around washington and get the forecast anytime at the weather section of wjla.com. some breaking news following the mass shooting. police made another arrest. they are -- they charged the rest the with first-degree murder. four others best -- four other suspects are already in custody. some old thieves are robbing fast food restaurants as people eat their lunches.

they are caught on tape. >> this is a graphic video and we warn you, these are crimes in progress. it is stunning to think this is happening when customers are present. one has happened at this hotel in manasseh's . a hotel clerk has a gun shot into his face during the robbery. the fast-food restaurant, then -- man use extraordinary violence as customers watch in horror. these brutal crimes may be connected to a larger robbery rampage in earth in virginia. something that has business owners worried about who is next. >> it seems to be on the rise and more violence. >> at this restaurant, one man hopped over the counter and used a gun to hit the manager in the head to get money from the safe. his partner stood lookout. >> i do not know what he is capable of. he is capable of anything at that point. >> detectives are looking if

they may be the same man who chased a restaurant worker in manassas and pulled her hair to hand over cash. at the same restaurant, customers are surprised at the over the top violent tactics used in these robberies. >> it is unfortunate. >> in a hotel robbery, only one masked man brought to them and took the money. he told the woman to lie on the floor. they are hoping to get tips on these men before somebody gets hurt. >> the citizens' safety. >> prince william county detectives are working with counterparts in alexander and fair fox -- fairfax to see if their crimes are connected. gail pennybacker, abc 7 news. we learned a car ran over a police officer's foot after a

crash in this washington. this happened will the officer was helping direct traffic around a trash truck fire. no charges have been filed. but the investigation is ongoing. a man has died after a freak accident during a softball game this weekend. he was pitching a game on saturday when he was hit by a line drive right in the throat. the man was knocked unconscious and began to aspirate on sunflower seeds. he went into cardiac arrest and died this morning. his name has not been released. the jury has been ceded to in trial of a prince george's county man accused of killing and dumping the body of his girlfriend. she disappeared from her home in and of 2009. the body was found two weeks later. her boyfriend was arrested and

charged with her murder. at the trial, prosecutors plan to play every quarter of her last words. a warning to anyone planning to renovate their home. check the credentials of anyone claiming to be a city inspector. a scam is costing a lot of people money. >> i am in front of the house where last week, a man claiming to be a citizen -- a city inspector conned the homeowner out of $20. the regulatory agency for the city says the same scam artist had at least three times around the city. in nw, the construction trash in front yard brought a visit from this scam artists. >> he said he would give us a ticket because of trash. >> he says the man seen in this photograph told the owner of the home that she could avoid the

ticket. >> he asked for $20 cash. she gave it to him. >> the young homeowner who declined an interview wrote that the man had what looked to be a badge. a homeowner said it was more than one year ago when they were hit for construction trash in their back yard. >> he told my husband that if we did not clear everything out, he would give us a fine. my husband thought it was shady. >> this homeowner did not want to be seen but said demand in photo interrupted workers -- said the man interrupted workers last summer. he says the workers gave him money the first time. >> [no audio]. >> the homeowner said when he

came back the second time, he confronted him and told him not to come back again. authorities believe there have been other incidents around the city. the police commander for this area issued a statement of telling people that if they have any questions about the legitimacy of an inspector or government official, they should call the police. he said that there are no citations that can be paid in cash on their doorstep. sam ford, abc 7 news. some breaking news from reagan national airport. a flight headed to washington from boston have to make an emergency landing at reagan after the encountered minor mechanical problems. the plane landed and taxied to the gate. the problem calls -- caused a minor delays. metro is encountering

maintenance projects or delays, that is, in needless projects. this is part of a cost-cutting effort. the spending plan calls for more than $4.50 billion in improvements over the next six years. the plan could be deferred unti. the project will save the agency $460 million. four illegal immigrants are washington -- are marching to washington to protest american immigration policy. scott thuman has more. >> these four college students and plenty of supporters will be walking through here at any moment. it -- they are on their way to florida from washington d.c.. it began on jan. because they said they are willing to risk their own freedom for it. >> every day, working up early

in the morning, putting on shoes. >> in this tight-knit group, is one of the country's top community college students. another has three degrees and a third is an aspiring architect. all are desperately missing something. >> the only thing missing is the piece of paper that enologist me as somebody who can contribute. >> they are on documented, and illegal, and willing to risk arrest to publicly what from miami to d.c. as part of what they call their trail of dreams. >> every city, we have had the opportunity to change the hearts and minds of black legislators and everyday americans, as well. >> we were afraid that one state would deport us. >> asking congress to stop student deportations for two years and a removal is a tall order. especially in light of what just

happened in arizona. new legislation giving more authority to police to deport illegals after increased violence along the border. >> frustration because they have not complied with constitutional responsibilities. >> the students believe that despite the blisters and bad weather that each step will be leaving their country into the right direction. this 1,500 mile trip will end on saturday as a walk through the streets of downtown d.c.. they say they do expect the possibility of multiple arrests. scott thuman, abc 7 news. coming up, strange phone calls are waking up people in the middle of the night. >> why this video of a man lying in the street is causing outrage

across the country. >> it could be difficult to keep violent video games away from your kid.

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the parents were about their children being exposed to violent video games. >> the u.s. supreme court is getting involved. horace holmes is on your side. >> the supreme court decided to rule on a california law that would levy stiff fines on anybody who sell or rent violent video games to minors. opponents say it violates the first amended rights of children. supporters say these violent games should never be in the hands of children. she is a parent of children who love to play video games but she and her friends or about how violent the games have become and how easy it is for any child to get a hold of them. >> i know that my son or other kids could walk into a store and get a m-rated video game and not have anybody ask them about it to the courts i think it causes violence in school. >> r-rated movies, you can be

17. video games should be the same thing. >> the teenagers we talked with said this should be an issue between parents and their kids, not one for the courts. >> they can say i did not want you to play this game. you cannot play it until this age. not restricted. cars under the california law, no child under the age of 18 could buy or rent a violent video game. any store that rents a game to a minor could be fined $1,000 per cell. a video store owner says he has no idea why a lot like this is necessary because all games carry a rating to distinguish what is not appropriate for children. >> the ones marked m are not for all ages. >> they say the reasons why they are rated m. >> the supreme court will now review the fed's decision.

if they side with california, it could open the door for other states to pass similar laws. the 11-year-old autistic girl that was lost in florida swamp is telling her story. she got lost earlier this month in and alligator-infested swamp which set off a massive search with helicopters and dogs and hundreds of volunteers. miraculously, she was found. she says her time was like an adventure. >> i wanted to see nature and take pictures. i did not know i was going to get lost. i tried to a different and it was so gross. i spit it out. cards she was dehydrated and covered in bug bites. her parents say she is now feeling just fine. >> fears are mounting along the gulf coast about that oil slick

coming out that sunken oil rig. about 42,000 barrels of crude oil are pumping into the gulf every day. the slick is 600 miles in circumference. officials are trying to slow down that will to win into the brought -- into the water. they're going to drill into that well and try to court that but that could take months. -- and try to cork it but that could take months. keep your eye on a few storms south of washington. they seem to be this managing -- diminishing. to speed.up some heavy downpours and some thunder to the south of charleston, west virginia. thunderstorm warnings have been

canceled. still a very heavy rain as you move across. light rains in other places. as we get to the evening hours, generally, we will be dealing with periods of rain. this shows you the whole picture. a large area of rain and you can see the andin the rain pattern. it will move out to see early tonight and tomorrow. because we are getting toward sunset, we will see the potential for thunderstorms diminish. we could have one or two but nothing of the sort we have been having. springfield got 0.36 inches of rain and is at 59 degrees.

at national park, a bit over 0.1 inches of rain. temperatures played a role in this thunderstorm because down south, it was 70. right at that line where we had the warm temperatures, that is where it became severe weather. a gentle rain fall where we are below average temperatures. very chilly up in state college and wilkes-barre. that set the stage for our severe weather. last week, we talked about this on thursday and friday that this weekend would feature stories -- storms making headlines. all the ingredients for the monster tornadoes. things have calmed down a little bit. this area of low pressure will move back and the sky will cool

for a couple days. more sunshine and the cold air will drive any thunderstorms south of our region tomorrow but they should be fewer and more isolated. it will come down with beautiful weather to the end of the week. thursday and friday, another front is coming through. they could fire up and we will keep a close watch on those. check out the express. this guy will turn partly sunny with the low 60's. a big improvement wednesday on word. temperatures will climb back to 70's and upper 70's on friday and saturday. maybe a storm or two on sunday and monday. "romantically challenged" is on prime time tonight. rebecca realizes why her sister

does not want a second date. >> the air conditioning just kicked in. are you cold? >> no. >> i do not want to take any chances. there we go. sorry i did not have anything warmer. >> that is on tonight at 9:30. after you watch "dancing with the stars,"were want to know what you think of the dancers so vote on wjla.com and watch the news at 11:00 to find out the results. coming up, random phone calls are waking up thousands of people in the middle of the night. >> a local football player called it a miracle.

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a shocking story of new york city. >> this is amazing. the good samaritan was that after helping save a woman from a mugger. nobody stopped to help him. we have a video of the attack to show you.

>> nobody stops to help him as he lay on the ground dying. even more disturbing, this has happened before in other cities including right here in washington. this a grainy video is actually rather clear and tells what happened and what did not happen in queens last sunday. a woman followed by a man who accosted her. what we cannot see is him being stabbed several times as he tries to save the woman. the camera does caption -- capture video of the man running away. he starts to chastened but collapses. watch what happens next. one minute later, a potential good samaritan walks right by. so does the next person and the one after that. more than 20 people past and do nothing. one man pulls out a cell phone but instead of calling 911, he snapped a picture. he lay there for 1.5 hours before somebody called 911.

>> i did not understand how you can walk by somebody needing help. >> what this captured has been seen before. in seattle, the woman was beaten as three security guards watched. in connecticut, a man was hit by a car and 10 vehicles drove by while he lay on the street bleeding. as for what played out in queens, he lost his life while trying to save somebody else's. if only somebody had returned the favor. >> absolutely amazing. coming up, what police are looking into the private life of a murdered d.c. principle. >> jennifer lopez may need to get a backup plan for her movie career. arch campbell tells us why. >> are you getting strange phone calls at all hours of the night?

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captioned by the national captioning institute --www.ncicap.org-- mysterious phone calls are for shredding people in virginia and maryland. they come at all hours of denied but nobody is on the other end. greta kreuz is telling us what this is all about in the course a lot of calls in arlington but also, in mclean, bethesda and

prince george's county. it is called spoffing. somebody steals the and uses it to harass complete strangers. [phone ringing] this last week, the phones have been digging at odd hours to in arlington. >> 2:00 a.m., 4:00 a.m., 6:00 a.m., all night. >> there were at first frightened and then anchored by a barrage of mysterious calls. >> it makes me mad that they're able to do it. it is not a telemarketer. nobody says anything. when you try to read dial -- redial, you cannot get through. they say an unknown entity

fraudulently took the number, saying they are hijacking it. they say they have blocked the number from the network and is contacting providers in washington area and urging them to do likewise. the nuisance calls have led the nuisance calls have led blogs to blow up with angry posts. the largest local carrier told me that there are working hard to block this 307 number from its network by the end of the day. comcast and the fcc are also now investigating. i should point out that if you have that block call feature, it will not work because this comes from outside of the area. greta kreuz, abc 7 news. fairfax county is now putting inmates to work.

county corrections officials have been having their in a small grass, removing snow, painting over graffiti and other work. they may volunteer for the program and get five days off their sentence for every 30 days worked. the sheriff monitors the group. it is helping fill in the gaps for the cash-strapped state. high school remains closed after students were exposed to mercury last week. they closed it to be sure it is free of the toxic metal. the substance passing mercury around on wednesday and notified officials. there are no apparent injuries. police are looking into the personal life of a beloved district principal as they try to figure out why somebody would want to kill him. >> this has been a high-profile

case. we have been trying to keep you up to speed on the latest developments. last week, police said they had a number of very good leads. today, still no arrests. when brian betts was found murdered in his home two weeks ago, there was an outpouring of grief from the school community. the entire student body attended his viewing. all the while, montgomery county police said they worked hard to solve the case. they gathered mountains of evidence. and they now say that detectives are going over every tried to find -- with a fine tooth comb. >> we have to review that evidence collected and categorize it, and act on it. >> much of the work is focused on his private life and acquaintances he may have made on certain websites. he says he is aware of concerns circulating online in the gay community that he may have

been targeted. >> we have asked every community in the area for information on this crime. >> you can see that the home in silver spring is still a crime scene and surrounded by police tape. the front door is locked. the word we're getting from the police department publicly and privately from sources is they remain very optimistic that this will close and if there will be in a rest. they are saying sooner rather than later. brad bell, abc 7 news. countye prince george's high school students received a special visitor. jesse jackson stopped by potomac high school product he talked with students about the importance of education and after the stop, he moved on to northwest washington where he attended a luncheon at the rainbow coalition public policy institute.

tuition could be going up at the university of virginia. the board of visitors will meet this week to discuss a proposal to raise in-state tuition by nearly 10%. four out of state students, tuition will raise six%. they say cuts in state funding make higher tuition necessary. southeast washington residents are celebrating the opening of the new anacostia public library. mayor adrian fenty was on hand for the dedication. the $14 million facility can hold up to 80,000 books, cd's, other library materials. they're free computers and high- speed internet. time for a check on the traffic situation. >> it looks as though things are actually not too bad on the wet road conditions. at 95 i springn field, looking

better than usual even though you are seeing a lot of cars. use caution because you will get water on your windshield. take a look at maryland. things are moving pretty well at the belt way across the american legion bridge considering the wet road conditions. the left side of your screen is the inner loop. here is georgetown road. hardly any cars at all. let's look at 270, some heavy traffic which is completely normal. back to you. coming up, an amazing new treatment. how a local athlete possible bone tumors disappeared. >> jennifer lopez looks for a backup plan. broadway's

jennifer lopez stumbled her way back into the movie screen. >> the biggest movie is still setting records. arch campbell joins us with a look at this week in entertainment but of course this week, i would have rather stayed home. the movie action stayed home as

millions shelled out for their own copy of "avatar." >> i feel stronger. >> the biggest movie turns into the biggest dvd. sales totaled $130 million since april 22. avatar goes back into theaters iand read-released as they write the script for "avatar2." jennifer lopez and needs a backup plan. the lawyer on the roof moved into the national theater where zero must tell and the original mostell orm -- zero premiered years ago. >> you laugh, you cry. >> number one movie, "how to

train your track and." new on dvd is "its complicated." >> this week brings every boot of "nightmare on elm street." i know that you loved "avatar." >> i cannot wait to get my copy. >> i love harvey weinstein. [laughter] warning for chocolate lovers. your favorite dessert may be hurting more than your waistlin. >> coming up, new hopes

that hill back in the weather center. a tornado warning has been issued for st. mary's and charles counties. this is the same area that had severe thunderstorms that weekend. they have reformed and the

report indicated on radar that there is a possibility of a tornado. it is in effect until 6:15. the area is a long bretton bay. that includes leonardtown. this is moving to the east at about 25 miles per hour. you can see the roads are leading into areas of the western shore. the observation was made when a storm was over the river. this is in effect until 6:15. if you are in any section of western st. mary's county along the river or along the stretch of 520 and southeastern sections of charles county, this is the time to take cover in case this is a tornado that touches the ground. no indication that it is on the ground at this time. a quick jump back to this

stormscan. this is part of this larger circulation in pennsylvania. we will have these flareups for the next hour or two and possibly severe storms. we will keep a close eye on this. until 6:15, a tornado warning in effect for the shoreline area of charlestown and western sections of st. mary's county. a bone tumor nearly ended a local football star's career. >> is gone untreated, it could have required a leg amputation. he is now tumor-free. >> this young football star took place in a study for an experimental drug. the tumor is now completely gone. he became concerned when an intense pain in need would not go away. >> i felt a pain in my knee.

i immediately thought it was a football injury. >> it turned out to be a tumor the size of an orange in the mayor. -- in his femur. it aggressively destroys bone and can spread and become life- threatening. he was the star running back at potomac high school and had just moved to arizona to play college football. doctors told him as athletic career was likely over and he probably needed a knee replacement or worse. >> sometimes it is necessary to do radical procedures like amputations in order to control the disease. >> typically, doctors surgically remove the tote -- the tumors but they returned 75% of the time. radiation has been tried but doctors said that can cause if the tumor to become cancerous. at washington hospital center, he was given another option, to take part in a study of an experimental drug. quist the drug is designed to

slow down don't absorption. >> it is injected with 120 milligrams. >> after the first injection, the pain started to die down. >> for nearly all of the patients, the tumors disappeared or shrank by at least 90%. his tumor is completely gone and bone has formed for the tumor used to be. >> it was a miracle. >> he plans to return to arizona to pursue his football dreams. >> none of the patients involved had any treatment- related side effects but there will be monitored for a long time to see if that changes. >> thank you. the federal government is putting money into vaccine research to find -- to fight drug addiction. the nicotine vaccine is

currently in development. it stimulates the immune system to generate antibodies to latch onto nicotine and prevented from entering your brain. researchers believe drugs like this that help treat nicotine addiction will help with harder drugs like cocaine or heroin. researchers have tied eating chocolate to depression but whether that is cause or effect, they do not know. they screamed positive for possible depression consumed an average -- those screened positive for depression consumed an average of hired chocolate. staying safe behind the wheel was the subject of an event in maryland we were at the

drive to stay alive assembly. the team driving seminar focuses on the dangers teens face. prom season is an especially tough time on the road. for more info, log onto wjla.com. >> graduation, prom, it is a busy time. >> the most dangerous time of the year. gordon peterson is live with a look ahead. >> financial reform is taking center stage on capitol hill. democrats and republicans say they want something done. we will talk about what the holdup is. tests in the mine in west virginia showed interesting things minutes before the explosion that killed 29 miners earlier this month.

>> more to park in bethesda is not good news. today was the big tournament jason campbell was supposed to host. you know the rest of that story. he texted me yesterday and said that everything happened so fast that we will have to catch up. he was talking about the open. he left yesterday for his new job on the west coast. he was having a profound impact. weather notwithstanding, everything was in placed for the third annual jason campbell charity golf tournament. everything except the host himself. >> he is really sorry he is not going to be here. he sends his best wishes from oakland. >> he was traded to the raiders on saturday ending his five-year stay in washington. >> the day comes and it is hard. >> it is strange to see a friend

all of a sudden out of here. it is somebody you see every day and then gone. >> the tournament benefits the fight against leukemia and lymphoma. >> it raised $500,000 in three years. >> even the soggy conditions, the turnout was telling. [inaudible] >> the cause is bigger than jason and he will tell you that himself. >> he did everything but class. he worked hard on and off the field. we wish him the best of luck. >> it is great that all these guys showed up even without jason campbell. hockey fans come here we go. game 6 in drill tonight. this series has gone farther than anybody expected. bruce boudreau is point the finger at alexander semin. he has yet to get a goal in the series.

his show that has had an impact on the entire lineup. there has been a lot of talk about it. because of that, i think he will be on a mission tonight. we will have a lot more coming up at 6:00. >> what a game tonight. up at 6:00. >> what a game tonight.

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$42 million in cash. it is waiting for somebody to plymouth. " there is a catch. you have to be able to prove that some of it belongs to you. steven tschida is live with what is being done to reunite people. >> the state is launching an intense effort to connect tens of thousands of people with millions of dollars. this insert will go out over the next few weeks. if your name is in it, you can claim some cash. money left in accounts from insurance companies, stocks, bonds, and government refunds. if it lingers long enough, it winds up here, the office of

unclaimed property. this alone, workers identified millions of dollars in unclaimed cash in lead. >> we have over $42 million in this year and 800 million in all accounts. that is all the unclaimed money which has piled up over the years. during the next few weeks, these inserts will appear in newspapers across maryland. they list the names of individuals who were identified as due money. they said my name and my husband's name. >> she found out she was owed $300 in a tax refund and she works in the office of unclaimed property. her job is dealing with things other than cash which are unplanned. usually from a bad -- initially from a bank safety deposit. items from a solid gold coin for 1908, an antique rolex watch,

and all kinds of pricey products. >> this is a cartier lighter. if nobody claims this stuff, it gets sold. quirks the unclamp merchandise eventually goes on ebay. there is no statute of limitations on cash. the state will hold onto it until you were somebody claims it. if you want to find out right now if you are owed money, go to our but said, wjla.com. -- go to our website, wjla.com. that is all for abc 7 news at 5:00. coming up, these dramatic pictures are all that's left that remains of homes after a deadly tornadoes ripped through the south. the democrats -- the republicans make a move to block democrats on moving on a financial reform bill. >> paying for parking on saturday? that story is coming out. saturday? that story is coming out.